HOW WORLD’S GREAT RELIGIONS BEGAN

• The world’s great religions can be classified according

to their places of origin. This refers to the
geographical location from which these major
religions were founded. People’s socio-cultural
orientations in such places evidently influenced these
religions and vice versa. The nine major religions of
the world to be discussed in these book are classified
into three(3) 1. *Abrahamic (religions originated in
the Near East) 2.* Vedic (religions influenced by the
Indian Culture); and East Asian Religions (religions
founded in East Asia and were strongly influenced by
Asian culture.
 There are three (3) basic
concepts on the origin of
Basic Concepts on religion. First is animism;
second is ancestor worship;
the Origin of Religion and third through
revelation
Aminism

• the attribution of a soul to

plants, inanimate objects, and
natural phenomena.
• Ancestor worship is a religious practice based on the belief that deceased
family members have a continued existence, that the spirits of
deceased ancestors will look after the family, take an interest in the affairs of
the world, and possess the ability to influence the fortune of the living.
• the divine or
supernatural disclosure
to humans of something
relating to human
existence or the world.
• Anthropologist Edward Tylor )1832-1917) argued that,
“Religion had its origin in the belief in immaterial souls that
might inhabit objects like stones, trees, animals, or human
bodies, but which also could exist independently from
them”. He coined the word ‘animism’ from the Greek word
‘anima’ which means “soul”. From this view, religion is
equated to animism and this can be traced from ancient
customs and traditions of different ancient societies. In
some degree, Filipinos do share this early form of religion.
Historical evidence show that ancient Filipinos believe in
“anito’’ – spirits that dwell in natural objects, including
human bodies, that need to be pleased in order to live in
harmony with them and with the environment.
• Ang anito ay isang diyos na
pinapaniwalaan ng mga sinaunang
Pilipino bago dumating ang
mga Kastila. Maari din itong tumukoy
sa mga diwata, espiritu at mga diyos
na pinaghuhugutan ng ulan,
proteksiyon at patnubay.
Nagpupugay ang mga tao sa mga
anito sa pagbibigay ng alay katulad
ng mga ani, mga hayop at iba pa.
Dinadasalan din nila ito para
magkaroon ng himala katulad ng
pag-ulan sa kalagitnaan ng tag-tuyot
at proteksiyon sa gitna ng laban ng
mga tribo.
• The second theory on the origin of religion
is advanced by the philosopher Herbert
Spencer. According to this concept, “The
origin of religion lies in the respect given to
the ancestors combined with the belief in
ghosts caused by dream experiences”.
Associated with this theory is the fear of
mighty things or forces of nature that some
people equate to be acts of supernatural
beings. Acknowledgement of the existences
of spirits (ghosts) and supernatural beings
support the formation of certain belief
systems and religion.
• Based on these two concepts, it can be deduced
that the origin of religion came through the
acknowledgement of the presence of spirits and
supernatural begins, and the respect for
ancestors that evolved into a certain form of
worship.
• The third concept on the origin of religion is
through revelation. Based on this concept,
religion spawned from a primitative divine
revelation. This means that religion conceived
from an assumption that in the beginning, there
is a God who revealed His being to man in
different manners the essential truths of
religion, such as the existence of God, the
obligation to obey Him, and the hope of
immortality.
Origin of Major
Religions
 Date Near East India East Asia

1,000 + B.C.E Judaism Hinduism

moses: 1500 – 1350 B.C.E 2000 B.C.E

600 B.C.E Buddhism Taoism

Buddha: 563-483 B.C.E Lao Tzu: 380-500B.C.E
Confucianism
Confucius: 551-479B.C.E

100 C.E Christianity Shinto

Jesus: 1-33 C.E 100 C.E

600 C.E Islam

Muhammad: 570-632 C.E
The Near East
•The history of the Near East begins with the
rise of Sumer in the 4th millennium B.C. the
term covers the Bronze Age and the Iron Age
in the region until either the conquest by the
Persian Empire in the 6th century B.C. or that
by Alexander the Great in the 4th century B.C.
• Sumer is the earliest
known civilization in
the historical region of
southern
Mesopotamia,
modern-day southern
Iraq, during the
Chalcolithic and Early
Bronze ages, and one
of the first civilizations
in the world along
with Ancient Egypt
and the Indus Valley
• The ancient Near East is considered one of the cradles of
civilization. It was here that intensive year-round
agriculture was first practiced leading to the rise of first
urban settlements and the development of civilization;
such as social stratification, centralized government and
empire, organized religion and organized warfare. It also
saw the creation of first writing system (the cuneiform)
and law cades, early advances that laid the foundation of
astronomy and mathematics. One very significant
development during this age is the invention of the
wheel.
•The ancient Near East was the home of
early civilizations within a region roughly
corresponding to the modern Middle East.
•Significantly, most of these lands comprising
the Ancient Near east were among the so-
called Bible Land of the Old Testament – the
lands mentioned in the Bible being part of its
rich history, including the different races of
people with different beliefs and varied
culture, living in these places during those
times.
East Asia
• East Asia is the Eastern sub-region of the Asian
continent, which can be defined in either geographical
or ethno-cultural terms. Geographically and
geopolitically, it includes China, Hong Kong and Macao;
Mongolia and Taiwan; North and South Korea; and
Japan. It covers about 12 million square kilometers, or
about 28% of the Asian continent, about twice the are
of Europe.
•One fifth of all people in the world lives in
East Asia. This is approximately 38% of the
total population of Asia. Major religions
include Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism,
and some of the indigenous populations
embrace Shamanism.
• The culture of East Asia has been influenced by
the civilization of China. East Asia, as well as
Vietnam, shared a Confucian ethical philosophy,
Buddhism, political and legal structures, and
historically, a common writing system. The
relationship between China and East Asia has
been compared to the influence of Greco-Roman
civilization of Europe.
India
• India’s astounding diversity of religions, languages and culture
are unique and unparalleled. The society of vast continent,
varied and complex in its rich heritage is among the oldest in
the world.
• Five thousand years of history have nourished the growth of a
great civilization. It has been vitalized through cross-cultural
contact and characterized by unity in diversity of culture and
race, caste, religion and language. India has six major religions
(Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism, Christianity, Buddhism, and
Zoroastrianism); two major language families (Aryan and
Dravidian); with 18 official languages and innumerable dialects
and tribal languages; three racial strands (Aryan, Dravidian and
proto-Australoid); and over 4,00 castes.
• The great Indian tradition unites the diverse cultural
regions, but, equally condones the existence of
different sects and local traditions. Perhaps, by more
than anything else, traditional India has been
characterized by location, a fragmentation not simply
of cultural-linguistic regions but of villages
themselves. It is a know fact that over 600,000 Indian
villages functioned as autonomous republic through
centuries.
 How Does
Geography
Influence Religion?
• Civilizations typically develop in and around river
systems where easy access to water and irrigation
systems become possible, which allows them to grow
crops and move from the hunter gatherer lifestyle to
farmers. As a result, the famous River Ganges, Indus
Valles, the Nile and Amazon Rivers became places
where different types of people have developed over
time. Variations in culture create different religious
inclinations which incorporate therein environments
into the rituals, mythologies and iconography.
• Mountains became focal points for certain
religions as people scaled their heights which
game them a higher and wider view of the
surrounding lands. The ascent to certain peaks
became a symbol for the way people in those days
perceived reality. People looked towards nature as
giving them a purpose and meaning to life.
• Because the physical geography of the land determined how
and when people would live in certain places due to
accessibility, resources and climate, it would seem reasonable
to conclude that these people would regard these aspects of
nature as having God-like immortality. But because
anthropomorphism ruled the day, these places became the
home of the Gods, rather than the earliest deities that
preceded them – during the times of paganism.
• In conclusion, the physical geography of a place affects the
formation of the belief system and religious behavior of
people living in such place.
Relationship between Religion and
Culture
• Some cultures identified themselves by their religion.
All common events in cultures like home, farming,
relationships, marriage, birth, and death are
influenced by their religious beliefs. Religion is the
epicenter that binds culture altogether. Often, these
events have religious significance.
• Religion gives transcendental meaning and purpose, and often, a
goal to aspire for when life is complete. Central to the very purpose
of religion is the attainment of goal in life. This paves the way as
social structures that bind religion and men. The word “religion”
comes from Latin “religare” which means to bind.
• Religion often gives codes of behavior for society and culture, such
as “The Ten Commandments”. All religions have values. Values are
guides to behavior such as “do good; avoid wrong doings”, All
religions have the Five Basic Human Values such as Truth, Right,
Love, Peace, and Non-violence at their core. These are the values
which sustains the very core of family, home, society, nations and
the world.
• In conclusion, religious practices are shaped by the culture around
them
 There are three basic concepts on the origin of religion,
namely: animism, ancestor worship and revelation.
Generally, all major religions originated based on either
one or combination of two of these concepts.

Similarly, there are also three major regions wherein the

Summary eigh major religions originated: these are Near East, India
and East Asia. Judaism, Christianity and Islam originated
from the Near East; Hinduism and Buddhism came from
India; from East Asia came Taoism, Shinto and
Confucianism.
These regions have distinctive differences in
terms of geography and culture which in effect
differentiated the nature, belief system and
religious practices and behavior of the religions
that originated from them .
Assessment Task

•Answer the following questions

1. Enumerate the different regions where the
major world religions evolved.
2.Give your analysis about the relationship of
religion and culture. Give emphasis on to how
they affect each other.
• 3.Describe how the geography of a particular
place influences religion